Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Gov Brown Fights For Gay Therapy Ban

Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday appealed a court injunction that has blocked
enforcement of a new law that prohibits providing gay minors with therapy
aimed at converting them to being heterosexual.

The notice of appeal was filed on behalf of Brown and the Medical Board of
California by state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris with the U.S. 9th Circuit
Court of Appeals, which decided Dec. 21 to block the law that took effect Jan.
1 pending a decision on its constitutionality.

A small group of therapists and religious groups argued that the law
infringes on their rights to free speech, but Harris has called conversion
therapy "unsound and harmful."

Harris asked the court Wednesday to look at a recent decision by U.S.
District Judge Kimberly Mueller upholding the law.

"Defendants wish to apprise the 9th Circuit of a related case currently
pending before it … denying a motion for a preliminary injunction that would
have enjoined enforcement of Senate Bill 1172," Harris wrote. "Both
appeals involve the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1172 and raise the same
and/or closely related legal issues."